Device for drying traveling articles



March 21, 1950' F. w. WEHMILLER ETAL' 2,501,367

DEVICE FOR DRYING TRAVELING ARTICLES 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Dec. 8, 1947 P06 5 mom ALA-3w K :1

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INVENTORS raw. WEHM\LLER W. J NEKOLA P. H.5PELBR\NK ax MM gmw ATTORNEY.

March 21, 1950 F. w. WEHMILLER ET AL DEVICE FOR DRYING TRAVELING ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 8, 1947 [1 u l "Am BLAST INCLINED A\R DUCT Zl ADVANGING TRAVELER R E B M E M N 0 T G R F INCLINED AlR DUCT 2\ MA L B WR M EEK/52,53.

ROTATING ARTlCLE FR\ GT\ON MEMBE R \4 POSITIVE.

ADvANdN TRAv ELI-1R l3 INVEN T0125 1 m KW Y L mw E L R N \L m R mu 0 T E PAT wNs A w F w Patented Mar. 21 1950 Frederick W. Wehmiller,

Ladue, William J.

Nekola, Normandy, and Paul H. Spelbrink, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to Barry-Wehmiller Machinery Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application December 8, 1947, Serial No. 790,288

This invention relates to devices for drying traveling articles, one of the objects being to provide a simple and highly efficient means for forcibly removing liquid and other foreign matter carried by outer surfaces of the traveling articles.

The invention may be employed in drying various types of articles, but it has special advantages in forcibly removing liquid from wet containers, such as bottles, cans, jars and the like, traveling from one machine to another. For example, without limiting the invention to this point, advantages are gained by effective rapid drying of relatively c001 wet containers traveling in automatic machinery from a hot pasteurizing apparatus to a labeling machine requiring a relatively dry surface condition. The mechanism for rotating traveling articles herein shown and described, is claimed in an application for patent on Conveyors, Serial Number 40,074, filed by us on July 22, 1948.

More specifically stated, in the art of pasteurizing liquids and other products in containers, the hot pasteurized contents should be rather accurately cooled to a predetermined temperature before leaving the pasteurizer. However, for convenience in actual commercial practice, the wet containers passing from a hot bath of liquid or vapor are likely to be discharged from the pasteurizer in an undesirable hot condition, so as to provide for rapid evaporation of the surface liquid 1: during a short period of transit to the next machine. In this convenient procedure, the hot surface liquid is rather quickly removed by evaporasurfaces of the containers, regardless of the tem- 4 perature of the liquid. Advantages appear not only in the positive, forcible rapid removal of the liquid, but also in the removal of undesirable chemicals carried by the liquid from previous treating operations. tion due to a high .temperature of the liquid on surfaces of the traveling articles, would not effectively remove chemicals which are likely to result in corrosion or rusting of metallic articles, or produce spots or stains on the articles, especially in using hard water.

To illustrate a desirable form of the invention, we will describe a specific combination and arrangement of details shown in the accompanying The usual simple evaporadrawings, with the understanding that the scope 55 4 Claims. (Cl. 15--306) 2 of the invention is to be determined by relatively broad terms employed in the claims hereunto appended.

Fig. 1 is a top or plan View of a drying device embodying features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical top view showing,

various cooperative conditions of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a similar illustrative diagram which may be regarded as a vertical section, taken approximately through the middle of Fig. 3.

The device herein shown to illustrate a desirable form of the invention comprises a screw conveyor 5 to positively transmit upright articles A through an elongated drying zone. The articles are advanced by apushing action of this conveypr and it will be observed that other suitable means may be employed for this purpose. However, the positive conveyor should be associated with a means for rotating the traveling articles in the drying zone, and a suitable air blast device to forcibly remove liquid from outer surfaces of the rotating, traveling articles in said drying zone.

To illustrate a suitable means for feeding the wet articles to the elongated drying zone, we have shown a traveling conveyor 6 on which the articles are loosely seated, and guides 1 located above opposite sides of said conveyor. These guides have curved ends 8 to deflect the articles from the conveyor 6 tothe entrance of the screw conveyor 5. A spring device t is located opposite said entrance to yieldably hold the incoming articles and provide for successive delivery of said articles to the screw conveyor.

This screw conveyor 5 is located at one side of the elongated drying zone to contact with sides of the upright articles and positively push them through said zone. Suitable guides In may be located at the opposite side of said zone to retain the articles in contact with the screw conveyor. In Fig. 1 we have shown gear members I i and I2 to rotate the screw conveyor, but any other suitable driving device may be employed.

At the bottom of the elongated drying zone we have shown. a traveling friction device I3 associated with the screw conveyor 5 to aid in advancing the articles, the bottoms of the upright articles being seated on said traveling friction device 13. In the same horizontal area we have shown a second traveling friction device M contacting with bottoms of said articles, said second travel- These friction devices I3 and I I may be in the form of sprocket chains traveling in opposite directions. For example, in Fig. 1 we have shown a drive shaft I5 fixed to a sprocket wheel I6 which drives the upper portion of sprocket chain M in a direction opposite to the travel of articles A. In this diagrammatical illustration, the drive shaft I5 is provided with a gear wheel Il meshing with a gear wheel 18 on a shaft I9 provided with a sprocket wheel 20 which drives the upper portion of the chain I 3 in the direction of travel of the articles A.

The sprocket chains I3 and 14 are to be regarded as friction members which loosely support the traveling articles, while a positive conveyor 5 is employed to push said articles through the drying zone. Said sprocket chains may be driven at the same speed or at different speeds to provide for rotation of the traveling articles. In fact, more or less desirable rotation of the articles would occur if the friction device formed by the chain I l were held in a stationary position while the chain I3 is advanced at a speed desired for rotation of thetraveling articles.

The air blast device to forcibly remove liquid from the rotating, traveling articles preferably includes an air duct 2 I having an approximately continuous elongated air outlet area which may be provided with a series of discharge ports 22 extending along one side of the drying zone, so as to continually subject each rotating article to the forcible air blast. This elongated outlet area for the blast is located at the side. of the drying zone opposite to the screw conveyor 5 and directed to the traveling articles. It seems important to observe that said elongated blast outlet area is in an inclined line extending downwardly from the entrance of the elongated drying zone and towards the discharge end of said zone, so as to begin the forcible drying operation at upper portions of the articles.

More specifically stated, each of the upright articles is rotated while traveling in an approximately horizontal course, and at the same time subjected to a continuous drying operation progressing downwardly from upper portions of the articles, The forcible air blast positively discharges liquid and other foreign matter from the rotating surfaces exposed to the blast and this is aided by the force of gravity tending to move liquid particles in a downward direction. The upper end of the elongated blast outlet area may be above the tops of the incoming articles, so as forcibly to remove liquid from the top surfaces and then proceed with the progressive downward dryingoperations.

Aside from the downward inclination of the air duct 24, each blast outlet 22 is preferably inclined downwardly, as suggested in Fig. 4. Another interesting detail appears in the deliberately selected direction of rotation of the traveling articles, which prevents splashing of free liquid from one article to the next adjacent comparatively dry article in advance of the splashed liquid. Fig. 3 shows that the direction of rotation at rear faces of the advancing articles is toward the blast outlet area of the air duct 2i, so that the free splashed liquid will not be directed toward a relatively dry advanced article.

If desired, heated air may be employed, but in using air at room temperatures we have found that the forcible blast device is so effective that it even removes the water from the crirnps of crown caps on beer bottles and the like, so as tov prevent rusting. This efficient drying also 4 places the surfaces of the articles in excellent condition for a label-receiving operation.

As shown most clearly in Figures 3 and 4, the traveling friction devices I3 and I l provide seats for marginal bottom portions of the upright articles A, so as to rotate said articles around their vertical axes, said friction devices being at opposite sides of said axes, or atopposite sides of the center line of the path of travel of the articles.

The articles in the drying zone preferably travel in an approximately straight horizontal path, and they are positively separated from each other by means of the spiral pushing elements of the conveyor 5. Such positive separation is desirable to prevent transfer of liquid from one article to another, and also to permit free rotation of the articles. If the rotating articles were crowded into contact with each other, their contacting circular faces would have to turn in opposite directions, and such contacts would tend to prevent the desiredrotation. Furthermore, by positively separating the articles, we p TQVide spaces for effective delivery of the air blast to opposite sides of the articles.

When a spiral conveyor is employed to advance the articles, the spiral pushing faces contacting with the articles preferably move downwardly, as indicated by an arrow in Fig. This action has a tendency to force the articles into contact with the traveling friction members I3 and Hi, and in some cases the downwardly moving pushing faces of the conveyor will have. more or less value in removing foreign matter from the articles.

We claim:

1. In a device for forcibly subjecting upright traveling articles to a continuous drying operation progressing downwardly from upper portions of the upright articles, an elongated drying zone provided with a conveyor to positively push the upright articles through said drying zone, a friction device at the bottom of said drying zone, marginal bottom portions of the articles being seated on said friction device to provide for rotation of the traveling articles, and an air blast device to forcibly remove liquid from the rotating traveling articles in said elongated drying zone, said air blast device having an approximately continuous elongated outlet area for the blast extending along one side of the elongated drying zone and directed to the rotating traveling articles, and said elongated blast outlet area being in an inclined line extending downwardly from the entrance of said drying zone and towards the discharge end of the drying zone.

2. In a device for forcibly subjecting upright traveling articles to a continuous drying operation progressing downwardly from upper portions of the articles, an elongated drying zone provided with a screw conveyor at one side to contact with sides of the upright articles and positively push them through said elongated drying zone, a traveling friction device associated with said screw conveyor to aid in advancing the articles through said elongated drying zone, bottoms of the upright articles being seated on said traveling friction device, a second friction device contacting with bottoms of said articles to provide for rotation of the traveling articles, said second friction device being in a line approximately parallel with the axis of said screw conveyor and the first mentioned friction device, and an air blast device to forcibly remove liquid from the rotating traveling articles in the elongated drying zone, said air blast device having an approximately continuous elongated outlet area for the blast extending along the side of said drying zone opposite to said screw conveyor and directed to the rotating, traveling articles, said elongated blast outlet area being in an inclined line extending downwardly from the entrance of said drying zone and towards the discharge end of the drying zone, so as to begin the forcible drying operations at the upper portions of the articles.

3. In a device for forcibly subjecting upright traveling articles to a continuous drying operation progressing downwardly from upper portions of the articles, an elongated drying zone provided with a screw conveyor at one side to contact with sides of the upright articles and positively push them through said elongated drying zone, a traveling friction device associated with said screw conveyor to aid in advancing the articles through said elongated drying zone, bottoms of the upright articles being seated on said traveling friction device, a second traveling friction device contacting with bottoms of said articles to provide for rotation of the traveling articles, said second traveling friction device being in a line approximately parallel with the axis of said screw conveyor and the first mentioned traveling friction device, an air blast device to forcibly remove liquid from the traveling articles in the elongated drying zone, said air blast device having an approximately continuous elongated outlet area for the blast extending along the side of said drying zone opposite to said screw conveyor and directed to the traveling articles, said elongated blast outlet area being in an inclined line extending downwardly from the entrance of said drying zone and towards the discharge end of the drying zone so as to begin the forcible drying operations. at the upper portions of the articles, and means for moving said friction devices in opposite directions, so as to rotate the traveling articles in said elongated drying zone, the direction of rotation at rear faces of the advancing articles being toward said blast outlet area.

4. In a device for forcibly subjecting upright traveling articles to a continuous drying operation progressing downwardly from upper portions of the articles, a conveyor to transmit the upright articles through an elongated drying zone, an approximately horizontal friction track device separated from said conveyor to rotate the traveling articles in said drying zone, marginal bottom portions of the upright articles being seated on said track device, and an air blast device for forcibly removing liquid from the rotating traveling articles in the elongated drying zone, said air blast device having an approximately continuous elongated outlet area for the blast extending along one side of the elongated drying zone and directed to the rotating traveling articles, said elongated blast outlet area being in an inclined line extending downwardly from the entrance of said drying zone, and towards the discharge end of said zone, so as to begin the forcible drying operations at upper portions of the articles, and said blast outlet area being provided with discharge ports directed downwardly from said inclined line to more positively force liquid toward bottoms of the upright traveling articles.

FREDERICK W. WEHMILLER. WILLIAM J. NEKOLA.

PAUL H. SPELBRINK.

REFERENCES GITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Gladfelter Feb. 22, 1944 

